


Prototype

by red_starshine



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Secret Identity, Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 06:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21406024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_starshine/pseuds/red_starshine
Summary: Crypto's first piece of Apex merch arrives for his approval. It's a cuddly plush toy of himself. Mirage thinks it's adorable.Somehow, this leads to kissing.
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Comments: 4
Kudos: 154





	Prototype

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [ this artwork](https://twitter.com/gottanichanco/status/1188875920657903621) of Mirage kissing a Crypto plushie (at least I think it's a plushie) by [gottanichanco on Twitter.](https://twitter.com/gottanichanco)

A small box was waiting in Crypto's room when he returned after a battle. His lip curled unconsciously when he saw who it was from - Jacob Young, the director of Public Relations for the Apex Games, and a high-ranking member of the Syndicate.

He cut through the tape, peeling open the flaps. Inside the box was a short note from the PR department that they were developing a line of plush toys based on the Legends. Beneath the note was something wrapped in lime-green tissue paper.

Crypto unwrapped the paper and the plush Crypto fell into his lap.

The plush was done in a 'cute' style, with a larger head and big round dots for eyes. The expression on the plush toy's face was dour, but it had a tiny plastic version of his drone stitched to one hand and the puzzle cube remote attached to the other. Most of the little details were correct, from the quilting on the inside of his jacket to the smooth metallic silver fabric used for the cybernetic augmentation on his face and neck. Pressing on the hand with the remote made the 'eye' in the center of the drone light up.

Mirage stuck his head into Crypto's room. “Hey, you got one too,” he said, holding up a bundle of yellow tissue paper.

“Why did they send me this?”

“Apex has your exclusive likeness rights as long as you're in competition, and they can market it however they want. Which means they crank out merchandise!”

Crypto frowned. He had known about Apex locking down his likeness rights, but it hadn't occurred to him that his face would be used to sell Apex Games merchandise to the masses. “Like that figure of yourself in your room?”

Mirage pointed at Crypto and grinned. “Exactly! But you have to approve the prototype before they'll mass-produce them.”

Crypto looked down at the plush in his hands. “Why would they want to make me into a toy?”

“Uh, 'cause you're popular? They're not releasing plushies of everyone yet. Just you, Natalie, Makoa and Anita. And me, of course.” Mirage stepped into Crypto's room with a grin, wagging his eyebrows. “I'll show you mine if you show me yours?”

Rolling his eyes, Crypto handed Mirage the plush of himself and took the wad ofyellow tissue paper from the other man.

Crypt carefully peeled away the yellow paper. The plush Mirage was winking beneath its brown curls and goggles, with a wide, cheerful (slightly dopey) smile embroidered on its face. Similar to the Crypto plush, the small plastic holoprojectors on the Mirage plush's arms lit up blue when its hand was squeezed. The Mirage plush was disgustingly endearing, Crypto thought. Almost as much as the man himself.

“Oh, that is very ador—adorab—cute,” said Mirage, inspecting the Crypto plush. “They got your sourpuss expression down perfectly, Kim. ”

Crypto stared at Mirage blankly. Hearing his fake identity's name coming from Mirage's mouth never failed to make _something_ in his stomach twist.

'_That's guilt, Park_._ You remember guilt, don't you_?'

Blissfully unaware of Crypto's inner turmoil, the expression on Crypto's face only made Mirage laugh. “See? Perfect.” Mirage kissed the cheek of the plush Crypto toy, winking at the real Crypto still seated at his computer terminal.

Crypto felt his face flush slightly and looked away.

He was in the Apex Games for a reason, he reminded himself, and that reason was not Elliott Witt. Bringing down the Syndicate from the inside was a delicate, tricky operation. Getting attached to the other Legends – seeing them as anything other than means to a very specific end – could spell disaster for him.

But there was something about Mirage. He was easy to like, easy to get attached to. Mirage was equal parts charming and absurd, with a surprising streak of melancholy at his core, glimpsed only when he allowed himself to be vulnerable. When he forgot to be the cocky, preening Mirage and let himself be Elliott Witt, a man who'd lost all his other brothers.

Perhaps that was why Crypto had unintentionally let his guard down around Mirage more than the other Legends. They'd both lost family. Or maybe it was just that Mirage was Mystik's favorite Legend and he wanted to try to keep Mirage from getting his pretty, pretty face blown away on-camera during matches.

Crypto didn't really know why Mirage was flirting with him, however. He'd observed Mirage interacting with the other Legends enough to know that a certain amount of teasing was to be expected out of him. But it felt like Mirage was acting more playfully suggestive to Crypto than he was to anyone else. At first, Crypto could rationalize that it had been solely to get a rise out of him, like poking a bear with a stick. Crypto had thought nearly dislocating Mirage's arm would've put a stop to that, but no. After those first few matches together, maybe even starting after Crypto had pulled Mirage off the exploding train during his very first match, it'd seemed to deepen into real, genuine interest on Mirage's part.

While Crypto tried to keep up his stoic facade, he could feel Mirage – that irritating, stupidly lovable man – worm his way past his defenses.

And now Crypto was stuck in a horrible, never-ending game where he wanted a man he couldn't have, and Mirage wanted a man who didn't exist.

Crypto was brought back out of his thoughts by something warm and soft pressing against his cheek.

Mirage was in front of him, leaning over to kiss his check, right below where his projection implant was. Mirage's fingers lightly cradled his face, and Crypto couldn't stop himself from leaning into his touch.

Crypto's cheeks burned. He could still feel Mirage's lips and the slight scratchiness of his beard drag against his skin even as Mirage pulled away from him. He was lightheaded, like his brain was floating around several feet above the rest of his body.

“I think I like kissing the real you better than kissing the toy you,” said Mirage quietly, resting his forehead against Crypto's.

It took Crypto several moments to realize what Mirage had said. “That's a terrible pick-up line,” was the only thing he could think to say, almost indignant. And it was! Of all the Legends in the Apex Games, why was this the one he'd somehow fallen in love with?

Mirage grinned and placed the plush on top of Crypto's desk, next to where his drone was docked for recharging and transferring data from the matches to his server. “Yeah, but did it work?”

Crypto raised his hand to bury his fingers in Mirage's scarf, preventing him from moving further away. “Yes,” he gritted out, accepting the inevitable, and then crushed his lips against Mirage's.

He ignored the deeply amused chuckle in Mirage's throat as he hungrily kissed him.

Perhaps kissing Mirage was a mistake, but at the moment, Crypto empathetically did not care.


End file.
